


What My Secrets Are

by orphan_account



Series: Prompts [16]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Domestic!Gallavich, Jealous!Ian, M/M, New York setting, domestic!ixm, embarrassed!Mickey, not that it matters but yeah, supportive!ian, they ran away at around late s2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-16 07:18:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8093200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Prompt: what if Mickey has a guilty pleasure - teddy bears cuddling. For years he's been able to keep this from Ian, but lately he just missed his bears so much that he called out his favourite ones name in his sleep. Ian suspects Mickeys cheating on him but his investigation only leads him to Mickey revelling in the company of the bears he's stashed away. Struck by Mickeys cuteness, Ian decides to be a doting boyfriend and makes sure Mickey gets to be with his bears whenever he wants.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I thought this was the cutest prompt and it reminded me of Mickey with Clay in SHITW, so of course I had to do it! Thanks, anon! 
> 
> Tumblr: hopelessandweak

Ian had thought everything was going well. Ever since Mickey and Ian ran away to New York years ago, everything had been great. Mickey had opened up emotionally and Ian had learned to compromise. They both had steady jobs and a half-decent apartment. Their relationship had never been better, although it wasn’t hard to top being secretly together in the Southside and terrified of anyone finding out.  
  
    But clearly things weren’t going as well as Ian had thought. Last night, Mickey was dead asleep and Ian was up reading. Mickey usually talked in his sleep, but it was mostly about Ian or random shit. Sometimes he talked about how much he missed Mandy, but otherwise, the only name mentioned was Ian’s.  
  
    Out of nowhere, Mickey called out, ‘Henry…’  
  
    It wasn’t a moan or anything, so Ian didn’t think it was a sex dream. Still, it was weird that Mickey would call out another guy’s name in his sleep. His eyes narrowed at his boyfriend, lying innocently in bed as if he hadn’t risen a hundred different suspicions, sprouting from the thousands of insecurities Ian had constantly. Mickey just rolled over, mumbling to himself some more.  
  
    Ian put down his book, shuffling down so he was lying parallel to Mickey. He leant in a little, whispering into his ear, ‘Mickey, who’s Henry?’  
  
    ‘Henry’s the best,’ Mickey sighed.  
  
    Ian scowled. Mickey never said that Ian was the best. This just wouldn’t do. This Henry couldn’t just take his boyfriend and expect to get away with it. Ian huffed, rolling back away from Mickey and crossing his arms.  
  
    Well, at least he had a name.  
  
     _Henry._  
  
*  
  
‘Hey, Mick, who’s Henry?’ Ian asked the next morning while they were having breakfast.  
  
    Mickey spat out his cereal, looking up at Ian with wide, guarded eyes. ‘What?’  
  
    Ian stared at him levelly. ‘Henry? Who is he?’  
  
    ‘Why do you ask?’ Mickey asked carefully, eyes shifting all over the place as he bit the corner of his lip.  
  
    ‘You just…’ Ian had no idea whether to lie or not. He decided lying was probably his best option. ‘I answered the phone the other day and some dude called Henry was looking for you.’  
  
    Mickey scrunched up his face in confusion. ‘Well, that’s fuckin’ weird. I don’t know a Henry. Must’ve been some kind of coincidence.’ Mickey then stood up, heading off to take a shower and get ready for work.  
  
    Ian glared after him, more sure than ever that something was going on. At first, he totally freaked out, but then managed to stall enough to play it cool. _Nicely played, Milkovich._  
  
*  
  
Ian knows that it’s probably wrong to stalk your boyfriend for the whole day to see if he’s cheating on you, but he had to know. He’s lived with the guy for four years and, sure, maybe there should be a level of trust there. And there was, but what was trust against insecurities that have plagued you for years about whether you’re good enough?  
  
    So, yeah, Ian was hiding behind a magazine at a bar where Mickey and his co-workers were having their lunch break. He made sure to wear a hat to cover his recognisable hair and some sunglasses too. He eyed all the guys in the group, ignoring the few girls. He considered only two of them hot enough that Mickey would fuck them, but he knew one of them was straight and he couldn’t remember the other one’s name. When the fucker touched Mickey’s arm, Ian suddenly knew with absolute certainty that his name was Henry.  
  
    He didn’t know what to do. A part of him wanted to go over there and tell Henry to get the fuck off his boyfriend, but another part of him rationalised that maybe he should get some proof before he went off. He’d done that once before and Mickey hadn’t been too happy. To be fair, Mickey had done it too and that guy was Ian’s boss. Well, he _was_ actually hitting on Ian a few times, but Mickey hadn’t seen any of that. He had acted out of pure instinct. Who cares if it had been an accurate guess?  
  
    At that thought, a rush of guilt flowed through Ian. They promised each other they wouldn’t do this anymore. It wasn’t a healthy part of their relationship, even if it both got them really hot sometimes at how jealous they could get. As soon as Most-Likely-Henry laughed at Mickey’s joke, touching his arm _again_ (and this time rubbing it a little), the guilt flew out the window.  
  
    Henry was a dead man.  
  
*  
  
Ian made sure to text Mickey that he would be home late, thinking that he would either go off with Henry or bring him back home, but when Mickey checked his phone, he just looked disappointed. And when he left, it was alone.  
  
    Ian sighed, thinking that maybe he was probably wrong and the guilt came back again. He followed Mickey home, deciding to surprise him with being early.  
  
    Only, when he came up to their front door, purposefully waiting a few seconds after Mickey, he heard Mickey call out, ‘Ian? You’re not home, are you?’  
  
    He frowned, leaning forward and putting his ear to the door. Why was Mickey double-checking if he was home? He had said he wouldn’t be. A few seconds later, he heard their bedroom door open and shut. Maybe he was going to have phone sex with Henry? With narrowed eyes, Ian quietly unlocked and opened the door, stepping into their apartment and taking off his shoes.  
  
    He tip-toed to the bedroom and put his ear to the door, listening closely for anything. It was silent for a while, but then came a sigh. Ian scowled and prepared himself for the worst before shoving the door open and shouting, ‘I knew it!’  
  
    Mickey jumped up off the bed as if he’d been caught jerking off and ran over to Ian, shoving him out the door and shutting it. ‘Fuck off, Gallagher!’  
  
    Ian’s eyes were wide as he tried to contemplate what he’d just seen. It was quite possibly the biggest teddy bear collection he’d ever seen in his life — with Mickey Milkovich at the centre of it. He tried to open the door, and hopefully get a photo, but the door was locked.  
  
    ‘Mick, would you let me in?’ Ian laughed a little.  
  
    ‘Fuck. Off.’  
  
    ‘C’mon, Mick! It’s nothing to be ashamed of! I had teddy bears as a kid.’  
  
    ‘Yeah, a _kid_.’  
  
    Ian could hear how upset Mickey actually was and sighed, rubbing at his forehead. ‘Mick, I’m not judging, okay? …Babe? … _Mickey_.’ He bit his lip before trying, ‘Can I meet them?’  
  
    ‘Jesus, Gallagher. I’m a grown ass man; I know they’re not alive.’  
  
    ‘Open the door, Mickey.’  
  
    He heard a deep sigh before the door finally unlocked and he heard Mickey run back over to the bed. Ian slowly opened the door, peeking his head in to see Mickey alone on the bed. He looked really embarrassed. Ian smiled softly and joined him on the bed.  
  
    ‘Where the fuck are you hiding all of them?’ Ian asked, wondering how the hell he hadn’t known about this huge pile of stuffed toys.  
  
    Mickey huffed. ‘There’s a box in the bottom of the closet.’  
  
    Ian rolled his eyes, throwing an arm around Mickey’s shoulders and pulling his boyfriend into his side. ‘It’s not a big deal, Mickey. You don’t need to be embarrassed. You don’t need to hide them.’  
  
    Mickey scowled, clearly about to say something mean to avoid feeling embarrassed, but took a breath and admitted, ‘Look, I can’t sleep well without one. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always slept with one. Terry tried to take them when I got too old, but then I couldn’t…I didn’t feel safe. So I fuckin’ went and got one, hid it and only took it out to sleep. I-I didn’t want you to think I was weird or a fuckin’ freak for still sleeping with a one. So I hid them.’  
  
    ‘And Henry is…?’  
  
    Mickey sighed, standing and heading to the box. He lifted the lid and sifted through them before picking one out, chucking it at him. It was a floppy, green bear with a black bowtie. It was pretty adorable.  
  
    Ian just smiled up at his scowling boyfriend and how fucking cute he was. ‘Mick, you can bring one to bed, you know? I won’t mind. Well, I won’t mind as long as it doesn’t take my place. And I would say you can have all of them, but…they probably won’t fit.’  
  
    Ian suddenly was burst with inspiration after finding out that these teddies were his boyfriend’s safety net. He’d never been able to help Mickey in a way before that didn’t make Mickey feel uncomfortable or annoyed. Now he knew he could help him feel safe and good, and he was so excited.  
  
    ‘We can put them around the apartment, if you want! A few on the couch?’  
  
    Mickey rolled his eyes. ‘Nah, man. I just…sometimes I wanna nap with them, that’s all.’  
  
    Ian smiled softly, kissing his boyfriend. ‘’Course. I’ll leave you alone when you want to. Just be honest with me. Do you want to cuddle with them now?’  
  
    Mickey shook his head, pushing Ian down onto the bed before curling up beside him, his head resting on Ian’s chest. ‘Nah, I’m good with you for now.’  
  
    Ian grinned, moving to cuddle his boyfriend more thoroughly. After a few moments of silence, he couldn’t help himself and blurted out, ‘So, there’s this guy at your office and I’ve noticed he won’t stop touching your arm. Can we do something about him?’  
  
    Mickey just rolled his eyes, suddenly wishing he’d chosen to cuddle with his bears instead. At least his bears didn’t have ridiculous jealousy problems.


End file.
